CD Review: Richard Kimball

Becoming dead just isn’t enough anymore, now is it? The final scene is clouded with the burden of writing a will and fretting over flowers at your funeral. Can’t someone else do it if you’re busy getting ready to become dead? But what we go through before death is life; filled with, at times, life-affirming moments and music. Warwick pianist Richard Kimball’s 10 original compositions (five scored for the PBS documentary Grow Old Along with Me) on The Art of Aging combine whimsy with poise and ask one hovering question: When does aging begin?

Depending on what mood you’re in will dictate what solo piano piece moves you. Like, if you’re ready to move onto the Great Beyond, “I’ll Be Somewhere” may strike your fancy. But if you’re one not to take any guff from life, you may be inspired by the pith in the title tune. Have tasks to accomplish before that last call? “Make Hay While the Sun Shines” would be your mantra. But let’s put life before death for a bit. “Patricia’s Theme” opens gently into a midtempo tune with some lift. The same feel is within “Blackout in Bolivia,” having an underlying riff like a moving train with a dancing melodic line on top. Hurray for life before death! Back to Kimball’s question on when aging begins: He answers, “When we start to notice that we need to make some changes in the way we live.” Those changes rest with the individual to tackle during their lifetime…so don’t become dead just yet. Warwickinfo.net/rkimball.html.

The Moonlights, a debut musical collaboration for families, is making the rounds at a series of live performances, including two of the upcoming Sunday Brunch at the Falcon in Marlboro.

With its open-air format, where attendees picnic in the parks and watch the stars emerge during performances, and its $5 youth tickets, the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice is the perfect place to share with children a love of music and theater, in a variety of styles.